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Padded jack

Century: XV

A jack made of over a dozen layers of fabric (14 on the body and 8 on the arms). The internal layers can be linen or of cotton, the outside and lining are linen. In late middle ages it was used as an armour itself without any metal armour elements fastened to it. It is heavier and more rigid and durable than other gambesons in our offer. You can order any other type of gambeson from our store made of layers, in this case prices can slightly differ from the ones shown below.

Gambesons were a cheap protection for the fighting men in the Middle Ages, but only the poorest ones used only them as their single armour. For others they were a part of a complete protective armament, providing amortization of the hit and the protection of attritions from the armour. Among padded protective elements we can find: gambesons protecting the trunk and hands, padded gloves, padded coifs and separate hoses. They were sewn from layers of a fabric. In the 13th century gambesons were long and rather badly-fitted to the figure. They were usually put over the head and buttoned only near the neck. Later, with the development of other elements of the armour, gambesons were shorter and better fitted to the body. In the 14th and the 15th centuries they were usually buttoned at the front or laced up.